On Thursday, the APPGT (All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils) hosted it's first-ever conference on Tamil Genocide Recognition in the Houses of Parliament were politicians from across the political spectrum voiced their support in obtaining justice and accountability for the massacres of Tamils.

The conference was well attended by MPs from all major political parties, including the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, the former Conservative party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal-Democrats, Sir Ed Davey. The conference also featured a number of eminent academic and legal experts including a panel featuring former UN Assistant-Secretary General Charles Petrie, former UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights Ben Emmerson QC, current Member of Canadian parliament Gary Anandasangaree, and head of Together against Genocide, Jan Jananayagam. 

The 32nd anniversary of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) massacre was marked at the Jaffna Hospital, with staff and family members holding a commemorative ceremony this week.

At least 68 civilians, including 21 medical personnel, were killed by Indian troops as they stormed the hospital building, throwing grenades and firing indiscriminately at staff and patients. The building had been shelled by artillery before the raid.

Human skeletal remains have been uncovered in Mullaitivu this week, in yet another discovery of potential graves in the North-East.

The remains were found in the Swaddapuram area in Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu.

US officials have threatened to curtail security operations with Sri Lanka following the appointment of war criminal, Shavendra Silva, as army chief back in August.

The official in charge of human rights at the State Department, Robert Destro, responded to Silva’s appoint by stating;

The deafening din of explosions; chaotic coughs through the black smoke; mechanical murmurs of invading tanks, as the international community looks away. The indigenous civilians of the land - retreating in tears. Forced to leave their homes without the remains of loved ones, for family members and martyrs are not distinct. Through their pain, they strive to survive clutching to the dream, that the homeland they loved was not lost. As they navigate the forced disorder, they maintain the belief that the oasis they had built will not be drained. Does this tragedy sound familiar?

Senior Sri Lankan navy commanders are complicit in serious crimes including torture, disappearances and murders, revealed a new report by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) on Wednesday.

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Jaffna on Tuesday, calling for the arrest of former defence secretary and presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Chanting the slogan “where are our children?”, the families called for Rajapaksa to be taken before the International Criminal Court to answer for their forcibly disappeared relatives.

<p>Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, has vowed to hang at least one drug dealer before he leaves office; conditional on the Supreme Court ruling in his favour and repealing the 43-year-old hiatus on the use of the death penalty for drug offences.</p> <p>In July of this year, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court order temporarily postponed the trial and possible execution of four people until October 30. The court will hear their case the day prior.</p> <p>Over a hundred human rights organisations have spoken out against Sri Lanka’s return to the death penalty.</p> <p>Biraj Patnaik, South Asia Director at Amnesty International, stated;</p>

Two Sri Lankan police officers and a member of a paramilitary have been remanded for a further 14 days after being arrested in possession of cannabis in Mannar on October 19.

The arrested paramilitary member is reported to be K Pushpakumar alias Iniyaparathi of Karuna’s TMVP group and now Amparai organiser for Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s SLPP.

Over 164 kilograms of cannabis was discovered in the group’s luxury vehicle by the Sri Lankan Navy.

<p>The United Arab Emirates Embassy in Colombo has issued a warning encouraging travellers to avoid going to Sri Lanka.</p> <p>On their official twitter account they stated:&nbsp;</p> <blockquote><p> “UAE nationals should not travel to Sri Lanka except in extreme cases. In the event of an emergency, citizens should call the embassy on +94 112-301-601, or contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation's call center on +971 800-444-44.” </p></blockquote> <p>The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory against Sri Lanka since April 21, 2019, due to the political turmoil.</p>